Tank Ette

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TankPlank Additions 2006 T. Sheil and A. Sheil All Rights Reserved


Tankette Waltz

From the 1920s until the late 1930s, tank design was a novelty. Many theories were

attempted. A common clash was between proponents of infantry versus cavalry.Infantry design wanted tanks to move at the pace of infantry, providing fire support.

These tanks were to be heavily armored. Cavalry designers wanted light, fast tanks withmore speed and less armor.

Between the two was the Tankette. It was little more than a small armored tractor

that could be used as a prime mover, or fitted with heavy infantry weapons. In the former

case, they served as armored ambulances, ammunition carriers and tow vehicles for lightguns. In the latter, they were mobile heavy machine gun or infantry gun positions.

Tankettes were a seen as cheap way to mobilize weapons that had been defensive

in nature. You could have a moving heavy machine gun that could attack directly. It waspossible to take guns like the 37mm infantry howitzer and run them close to enemy

positions.

There was a brief period when the tankette was useful. From 1920 to about 1938,

they were capable of performing limited tasks on the battlefield. The Japanese tank forceused in China was mostly tankettes. They wreaked havoc on the poorly-trained, ill-

equipped Chinese army. Half the Russian forces at the beginning of the battle of

Nomonhan in 1939 were tankettes, and they stemmed the tide of Japanese infantry untillight tanks could be brought up.

1939 also showed that the tankette was no longer viable as a fighting vehicle.

Throughout World War II, US forces played havoc on Japanese tankettes. Italiantankettes floundered in North Africa and Greece, while the remaining Russian tankettes

were easily annihilated by German forces in 1941. The only successful use after that

was as an armored tractor.

Tankette Waltz is an add-on set of rules using the TankPlank game. In this game,the twin villages of TankPlank are the scene of battle between infantry forces supported

by tankettes. The time frame is between 1920 and 1939.

Movement:

Men 3

Wheeled vehicles 10 road, 4 offTankettes 8 road, 6 off

Light Tanks 6

Heavy tanks 4

The tankette: a peculiar invention of the Post WW1 years, the tankette is a small

tracked, armored vehicle. It is too small to carry anything larger than infantry heavy

weapons. It is little more than a mobile weapons position. The very light armor is barelyenough to ward off small arms fire. The tankettes only advantage is speed.

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Most Rules as in the basic Tankplank game. Here are the changes and

additions:

Rifle GrenadesThese act like regular grenades, except they have a range of 9 inches. For aimed fire, they can be

aimed at large targets such as vehicles and doorways. Aim is the same as the Rifle, but the rangesare:

Close: 1-3

Medium: 3-6

Long: 69

Impact: 2

37mm Pack Guna small 37mm howitzer with very short range, fires a light explosive. Can be fired as artillery, or

fired against a vehicle, house or fortification.. Blast area of a 37 is 1 inch.

Close: 0 - 8

Medium 8 16

Long 16 - 24

Impact: 1

20mm gunantiaircraft gun fires solid ammunition.

Close: 0- 7

Medium: 7 14

Long: 14 20

Impact: 1

If the shell penetrates, roll a die to see the damage:

1 2: no damage

3 4: hits weapon / ammo weapon is disabled5 6: hits engine vehicle damaged.

AntiTank Rifle

Range: 18

Impact: 0

Close range: 0-6

Medium Range: 6 12

Long: 12 18

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If the shell penetrates, roll a die to see the damage:

1 2: no damage

3 4: hits weapon / ammo weapon is disabled

5 6: hits engine vehicle damaged.

Mortars and artillery:

Make two extra matrixes one is 1 circles, one is 3 circles.

Use 1 for 37mm guns

Use 2 for rifle grenades and light mortars

Use 3 for 75mm howitzers and medium mortars

Grenades: the hand grenade is as in TankPlank. However, when thrown against atankette, it has an Impact of 2

The explosive blasts are as in TankPlank. Tankettes can withstand the blast of a 37mmgun if fired as indirect fire. They can withstand the blast of a grenade, except when a

grenade is thrown at the vehicle itself.

Tankette armor

F 4

S 3R 2

Advanced Rules for Tankplank (World War II and Cold War)

Characteristics of Specific tanks and Guns

TankPlank was originally composed as a simple wargame. The armor characteristics,

speed and firepower were standardized by vehicle type. They were based on actualhistoric vehicles. By extension, these rules can be made to more closely apply to specific

vehicles.

The vehicles listed below equate with categories on the Tank and Vehicle Armor chart.

Listed below are tank types which fit the appropriate categories. Tanks not listed can be

assigned by a little research on your part.

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Tanks:

Tankette: Panzer 1, Carden Lloyd, Bren carrier less than 10mm

Light Tank: Panzer 2, T38 (Czech tank), US M3 M5 Stuart, Cruiser v 20 40mm

Early Medium: M3 Lee / Grant, Panzer III, Early Panzer 4, Valentine 50 to 65mm armor

Medium: M4 Sherman, T34/76, late Panzer 4, Comet, Martilda 70 to 90mm armor

Main Battle tank: Churchill, M26, M46, M47, early Centurion, T55, Panther, 100 to 125mmarmor,

Heavy Tank: Tiger, KV1, M48, T62, T72, later Centurion 130 to 175mm

Modern Medium / Postwar Heavy: M60, Stalin, M103 175mm or improved modern armor, Tiger

II, Jagtiger, ISU 152

NOTE: The Russian BT series, Tetrarch and other light tanks have the same armor as Armored

cars, but move as light tanks 10 14mm

Armored cars:

M8 greyhound. Puma, Sdkfz 231, AEC, Saladin, 15 22mm

APC, Half Track, Light Armored Car: 8 14mm

Sdkfz 222, M20, Char D, US White Half Track, German SdKfz 251, M113

Tankette 5 8 mm

Bren Carrier, Carden Lloyd, PZ1, Italian L33, Marmon Herrington, Ontos

Mobility Rules

Movement:

Light 8 road, 6 off

M3 and M5 Stuart, Crusader, Cruiser, APC, PT 76, BT series, Sheridan, M114, AMX 13,

Scorpion, Panzer 2, Czech 38T, Hetzer, M18 Hellcat, M24 Chaffee, Marder I, Marder 2, Marder

on 38T

Medium 6 on or off

Sherman M4, M3 Lee / Grant, Valentine, T34, SU 100, M26 , M46, M47, M48, M60, T54 / 55,

T62, T72, Stug, L-6, M13/ 40, Leopard, AMX 30, Challenger, Cheiftain, LeClerc, Panzer 3,

Panzer 4, Panther, Jagdpanzer, Jagdpanther, M10 / M36 TD, AmTrack

Heavy - 4 on or off

Tiger series, KV series, JS series, T-10, M103, Conqueror, Churchill, Matilda, T28, T35,

Brummbarr

Horse Cavalry: 7

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Tank and Vehicle Armor

Medium Tank

10 F8 S

6 R

Armored car

6 F

5 S

4 R

Assault Guns*

11F7S

5R

Tank Destroyers, Light

tanks*8F

6S

4S

Self-Propelled Gun (TD and

Artillery)*7F

5S

4R

Heavy Tank*

12F9S

6R

Half Track / APC

5 F

5 S4 R

Trucks, jeeps, unarmored

vehicles

3 F2 S

2 R

M60, Stalin, M103, Tiger II

13F

10S6R

Early Main Battle Tank

11F

9S

6R

Early Medium

F 9

S 7R 5

Tankette armor, M113

F 4

S 3R = 2

*Vehicles marked with asterisk are for optional versions of this game.

Tank Guns

Armored car Gun 37mm gun, 45mm gun, short 50mm: 3

AT Gun US 57mm, 6 pdr, German 47, Long 50: 4

US 75 for M3 and early M4 (up to end of 1942): 4US 75 for half track tank destroyer, later M4: 5

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German F2 75 (Pak 40/43): 5

US 76mm, German revamped 76.2: 685mm gun, 17 Pdr, Panthers 75: 7

Heavy Tank Gun 88mm, 90mm 100mm: 8

US 105 at, Russ 122, German 120mm: 9

Howitzer: 3

150 155 gun: 420mm gun: 1

Artillery

These are the burst areas of various guns. To make blast circles, use the same 5-ring

pattern as for mortars. Artillery fires the same way as mortars.

37mm howitzer 1 inch60mm mortar, 50mm mortar, grenade, 40 to 65mm gun 2 inches75mm gun, 77 mm gun, 84mm gun 3 inches

105, 100, 122, 130 4 inches

150mm, 152mm, 155mm 5 inches

This game has been prepared for you by the following

Army Men Homepage http://www.armymenhomepage.com

Milihistriot Quarterly http://www.milihistriot.com

All Gauge Model Railroading Page http://www.thortrains.net

[email protected]

You may download and use this game for your own personal use. It may not bedistributed or used for any commercial purpose, or by any commercial enterprise withoutthe written consent of the authors and publisher.

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Tank Ette